Vox de la Morte
by Pooka Neko1
Summary: Wah... not good at summaries... but four words for you: Shuichi the Vampire Hunter... err, dreamer.... or slayer... or whatever.
1. Prologue

Vox de la Morte  
  
Hello… Are you there again? Maybe this time, you don't have to hurt me. Maybe… Maybe this time, you can tell me when the pain will begin and end… And… maybe this time, I won't see you anymore. Adieu to you… For now, you will never haunt me, ever again…8/23  
  
I can make you, and I can break you. You do know that. I see you everyday. I see you walk the halls, I see you walk across the bridge with me… And still… Still, I can't hide this fascination. What is it like… What is it like to slide through walls as if they're just air? Please come back. I need you. Please come back. I swear… I swear, if I had all the time in the world, I would use it all on you. Please come back. 8/30  
  
"Shwee", the voice can often ring in his head like that. Goes on and on, ringing and singing lightly to his head as if it were the poem of old and young. So here stands Shwee, ready to take in the force that is him, the force that is waiting outside, the young child packing his bags, and waiting to go home. So what is he?  
  
"Child", calls Shwee. "Don't be afraid of me…" But the child's fake black hair is pulled under a hat, as he hides in his closet. So what if the years say he's sixteen, to himself he is ten again, hiding in the closet and waiting for Alice to save him. So now the beast waits upon its thrown, awaiting him, it's dearest treasure.  
  
The beast, of all things, wants to get at him, wants to taste his flesh, and peel away all that was taught to him in all these years. It wants to tell what the feeling of difference is, what it would do to someone of the like, and how much it will hurt.  
  
The child knows of Shwee's feelings, of what it will do if he defies it again, with all his heart, his pen, and his writing book. For all know that he will be devoured… in a gruesome way that does not suit himself. So now the child awaits the beast, hoping he can drive it away.  
  
"Please don't… Not again…" he whispers to the cold and sudden night. Now and again, the beast is clawing at his morality, clawing at his own sick and twisted mind, awaiting the chosen fantasy of a boy his age, yet turned upside down. How now had he become one with it… Or how now had he been ripped apart from it? "Leave me alone!" he cries and clings onto his childish dreams, and the incessant fear of loosing what was once his to the belly of a being that was once his.  
  
And now the beast talks about the fear that had once been his… now the child's, the child's fear of having this done by a male beast, and not a female beast. He cries for help, for shame, par say. And the violence that soon streaks across his mind. How he wishes to kill this beast, how he wishes he were the one to kill it!  
  
But it had the upper hand. And though the child could not fall into the beasts trap, he could fall into fear and loathing and hated and violence. All of which was a very good choice at the time. But he knows he knows that the beast is still there, still nibbling on his naked shoulder for the time being. He knows what the beast wants, and he knows that he could do nothing against it. He was bred for this… He was born for this… And now he could not escape it when it was finally time to do so.  
  
"Please… Let me go…" he cries sullenly, reaching out to the flowers painted on his walls. "Please, don't…"  
  
"Now and ever again…" the beast whispers, "Now and ever again… Do you always wish such stupid thoughts? Do you always see me as one so rabid? I'm not here to hurt you, to kill you, or any such thing. I'm here to help you."  
  
"Help…" the boy whispered quietly, letting the beast stroke his throat with one claw. "Help…" he whispered into the night. "Help!"  
  
And so it was there, so it was where the boy was stuck in his lost thoughts, his lost dreams that the beast was still there. Oh, he was still there, worshipping him as though he were a god… But the beast knew that flattery worked. He knew all to well what this could be used for. He knew the child like a book that he had read all too many times.  
  
And the child knew the beast. The beast had been the thing, always following him, always watching him. If you don't act now… His mother had said, it will always take control of you.  
  
But the beast fell upon him, rendering him helpless for all his screams, all his cries, and all his wants falling into a crystal ball which shattered upon hitting the ground with a loud crash. What is there to go on with? What is there?  
  
What is there? Do what you can. Use what you can. The boy now picks up the butcher knife that his mother loaned him. Look at the beast. Destroy the beast. Stab it. Kill it. He plunges the knife into the beast… Into the horrible, god awful beast… The thing… Him. The beast is him. The child feels his hot blood fall upon his fingertips, as he knows what was left of him. He knows that here is the time to let go of everything and everyone. Now is the time.  
  
END PROLOGUE 


	2. Surrealistic Pillow-Today

Vox de la Morte  
  
1  
  
The sun didn't even have time to wake him up. The boy was up, three in the morning… four in the morning… somewhere around then. He rubbed his eyes, and wiped the sweat off of his forehead. He had been seeing one of those again…  
  
One of those… visions that often mixed his memories with another person's memories. He did not like them, as it often left him sweating and melancholic or weeping whatever time he woke up at. And of course he couldn't tell it to anybody. Then where would he be in life? A subject to poke rods at and laugh at?  
  
He understood what most of it meant… But other parts of it… It had just been muddled together, and now he couldn't understand any of it. The boy shook his head and smacked his alarm clock when it laughed annoyingly at his guess on time. So it was five in the morning. He always guessed wrong.  
  
The boy lifted himself out of his uncomfortable bed and looked around the room he had spent most of the last three years in. Ever since then… he had isolated himself from society. Ran away from the life that was meant for his greatness and superiority over other musical equations, but he had decided to live it in the trenches of fear. Well… Besides going into the bars to perform. But his only friend would never let him explore. And there was a hunger there that no flavor of pocky could feed.  
  
"Hiro…" he muttered, groping around in the darkness. Just where was he when you needed him… "Where are the lights?" he asked, feeling around in the darkness. Finally, his fingers felt a switch of some kind, and he lifted it to hurl his face away from the bright light. "Damn…" he muttered quietly.  
  
He lifted his eyes to an even brighter light, making his pupils dilate. "Hiro!" he screeched, grabbing the flashlight and turning it off. "Stop it! Stop it with the flashlight thing! It's getting very annoying…"  
  
The taller and darker boy, Hiro, chuckled at his friend since the olden times. "But you make it so easy to tease!" he shouted, waving a box of strawberry pocky in the air, a.k.a. breakfast. The two fought over the box, each complaining that one had one too many or one too less.  
  
By the time it had hit seven, the two were ready for yet another gig in a bar that would probably ignore them the whole way through. Least they got money. That's all that really mattered to some… Yet the two wanted more. They really wanted to get the people's attention and had even considered playing "The Surprise Song" every now and then. Hey, it was worth a try.  
  
But alas… it was another day, just sitting there and smiling at the comatose audience who didn't even give a shit.  
  
"Shuichi…" Hiro had muttered every now and then, "We've really got to find a new gig… All I ever see are mugs filled with beer…"  
  
"Right! But we'll do that AFTER we conquer this bar!" Shuichi would always scream and shout, drunk on soda and strawberry pocky. "And after this bar… Who knows… Maybe… THE WORLD!"  
  
"Right…" Hiro muttered now, grinning at his over zealous friend. "Well, you sure know how to pick interesting bars… I give up on this place… Let's go."  
  
Shuichi glared sadly at the people who he had already sung for in about two years. Still they paid no attention… "You're right…" he muttered, crestfallen on his discovery. "Let's go home."  
  
"Oh, come on!" his friend had soothed. "Why don't we go to… a bakery and we can get whatever we want! How's that?"  
  
"Hai, hai…" Shuichi muttered, not really caring as his friend led him through the through putting their stuff away and then driving up and down the streets, looking for a good fast food restaurant instead.  
  
"You know what, why don't I park the car, and you can sit here while I get us something? How's that?" Hiro asked, making sure his friend was as comfortable as he could possibly be.  
  
Shuichi watched him leave the car and sighed hopelessly. Surely Hiro wouldn't notice if he just walked out of the car and somehow managed to get lost? No… He would probably find him in second's haste… Shuichi chuckled at his version of Hiro as Sherlock Holmes. Surely he wouldn't notice.  
  
Shuichi bravely stepped out of the car and looked both ways, hoping Hiro was no where to be found. Smiling at his clever escape, Shuichi quickly ran off to explore the world that he had been kept away from.  
  
This was what he had been missing all this time. The stores, the people, and the crowded streets! Oh, this must have been what he was missing! How he wanted to run up and down the streets and just run right into people, but his fascination had taken hold of his pacing.  
  
"Wait…" he muttered, picturing the face of a sad and worried Hiro holding a lonely box of food and looking in the car. "That's right… I left him all alone… Well now, there must be some way to save a lone best friend…"  
  
Shuichi spun around, racing back to find the car that he and his friend had drove in. Maybe he forgot about me… Maybe he drove off without me… Maybe this was his plan to get rid of me-Nah. Maybe-ITAI!  
  
"Ouch!" Shuichi squeaked, when he rebounded off of the figure at hand. "Su…mi…ma…sen…" he muttered, as he looked up at the man. Something's wrong… I know something's wrong… He thought as the pictures of the beast from his dream came to mind. But what was it… what was wrong with the picture…  
  
"Just don't do it again", he muttered, walking off. Shuichi growled vehemently, and ran to catch up with the man and his long strides.  
  
"Excuse me, but I said excuse me. Don't just run off like that-Hey!" he shouted, trying to catch up with the tall man with blond hair. You're not getting away that easily! He thought, as he tried to keep up by jogging now. "Excuse me!" he shouted, louder this time. "But could you just stop and say you're sorry?"  
  
The man finally turned around and stared at Shuichi, coldly. Almost burning through his innocent blue eyes. "S… Sorry…" Shuichi began, but it didn't stop the chill going up and down his spine.  
  
He had short blond hair, a cup of coffee in one hand, and a newspaper in the other. Oh, how was he supposed to get through to this man? Maybe… If he just put out his point clear into the next street, he would be able to make him apologize. Yes! He would make him apologize, and by god, he would mean it.  
  
"What do you want?" the man asked, boredom rolling into his voice. He looked the boy up and down; wondering exactly how old was he. Ah, just another kid, probably asking you if you have any candy…  
  
"You bumped into me! Say you're sorry!" he shouted, not really noticing how loud he was shouting, or how demanding he seemed. And by now, his determination was a steaming red bull, just waiting to run over the man and to force him to apologize. Damn, he would apologize, no matter what.  
  
A mocking chuckle came out of his mouth, as he muttered, "I'm sorry you bumped into me kid, I guess I was just in your way."  
  
Shuichi pouted, forgetting all together about poor Hiro who was now looking up and down the streets for his companion. Making this man pay for what he had done was way more important. "Apology not taken. Say it like you mean it."  
  
"Hey…" the man muttered. "You play in that bar over there, don't you?" Shuichi nodded eagerly, waiting for some praise. "Try something different. You guys stink."  
  
"Na… What…" he muttered, taken aback, and falling back somewhat. "How dare you!" he shouted, fires blazing in his eyes. Now was the time for pay back. Now he could rip this man apart and have a good story to tell to the police. And now he could attack him in anyway he pleased.  
  
But the man started to walk away again. With all his might, he rushed forward and raised his hand in a "Stop" motion as if it would actually work. He was just almost about to hit the man's back, so close to giving him a whammy, when- the man grabbed Shuichi's wrist, and shoved him to the wall, pinning his arms to the side.  
  
"Iie!" he shrieked, already cowering to anything he could see. "Please don't hurt me, please don't hurt me, please don't hurt me…" he whispered. He opened his eyes, looking very angelically at the man. Maybe if he acted cute… he would leave him alone. Then he would never have to see this evil man. He shuddered under his hold, suddenly aware that the man was loosening his grip.  
  
Shuichi watched the man twitch a little, then slowly let Shuichi go. He shook his head, as if saying, "Don't… Don't…"  
  
"Get lost…" he muttered, shoving Shuichi the other way. Shuichi caught himself before he could fall flat on his face, and ran off into the distance. "Cute kid…" he muttered very quietly, once the boy was out of sight.  
  
Shuichi ran off, and bumped into another person, while they said at the same time, "Sumimasen… Hey!"  
  
"Shuichi! Where did you go off to?"  
  
"Hiro! So you didn't leave me!"  
  
"Why would you think that?"  
  
"I was just over there!"  
  
Explanations ensued. And it ended with the joy of having fast food and sweets. As Shuichi told everything about the man to Hiro, he only nodded whenever Shuichi expressed an opinion. "Yes, Shuichi, I believe you're right. Exactly, Shuichi, you should've told him that. Are you ready to go home now?"  
  
"Yeah… I guess…" Shuichi muttered, taking one last look at the streets. Maybe… Maybe he could come back someday.  
  
**  
  
The man quietly walked back to his apartment, now with a cigarette in his mouth as he fiddled with the newspaper. He kept thinking about that kid he had seen. Where had he come from? Who was he? And why did he get a weird feeling around him? There was only one way to find out.  
  
As he entered his apartment, he flicked the lights on and threw the newspaper on the ground instinctively. He sat down in a chair, almost expecting to hear that same voice again. And there he was, sitting across from him. His black hair gave away who he was immediately. The man only knew one person with hair that dark.  
  
"Aizawa…" he muttered, looking for something more interesting to look at. The boy growled, but simply subdued his anger by hmphfing. "What do you want now? I got your last three victims for you, I bought you a pet dog, and I even was your messenger boy to the older and the more… what is it… experienced."  
  
Aizawa growled louder, showing his fangs this time. "I only tolerate you because I owe you more than I can pay. But just wait until the years slide by. Then I won't need you anymore."  
  
"Right…" the man muttered, unfazed by Aizawa's anger. He had plenty of years to find out how to take advantage of his anger.  
  
"Listen…" he hissed, keeping a hold on his anger. "You bumped into a kid this morning. Pink hair, blue eyes… Yeah, you remember him…" he muttered, hearing the man groan. "We can do it like we always did. You go out and find him. Bring him to me, the end. No more problems for another hundred years. That simple, Eiri. And you know I only want you on the job…" he muttered, ending with a grin.  
  
Eiri could see the kid again, with all his innocence and his determination to make him apologize. Cute little kid definitely, but soon to be dead cute little kid. "Why?" he questioned, hoping this time Aizawa would give him a reason for his wants and needs.  
  
"Why?" he asked back, skeptically. "Because, that's why. You're not that old. You can't order answers out of me quite yet. Just bring me the kid, and as soon as you do that, I'll bring a little something special."  
  
Eiri shrugged, picking up an old journal and writing once again. For now, he could ignore the pain at his side, trying to read what he was writing. "Eiri?" he asked, very politely now.  
  
"Fine."  
  
Aizawa disappeared without a trace, away to a realm that Eiri had never been to before.  
  
**  
  
"Same morning… Same annoying morning…" Shuichi mumbled as he brushed his teeth. He wasn't used to getting up this early, but Hiro had scheduled them in really early, this time. "Fine… I'll do what you say now, but wait until we're famous. Then I'll tell you what to do Hiroshi…"  
  
He trotted down the stairs, hoping to smell the usual smell of toast and cereal. "Well if you wanna be me, then be me… And if you wanna be you, be you…" he sang, playing a game of jumping on one stair, and walking on another.  
  
After breakfast and performing, the two were washed out once again. Another bar, the same thing, all over again. Nobody paying attention as they worked their butts off, trying to maybe just make one person glance up. Shuichi and Hiro sighed at each other, glaring at the people as they drank their water without sugar.  
  
"I give up", Hiro finally surrendered. "Nobody pays attention to us. Let's just go home and stay there…"  
  
"I told you so…" Shuichi muttered back. After their last song, Shuichi started putting things away, and Hiro tapped his shoulder. The two were amazed. In fact, they were stunned for the first few seconds. Somebody was clapping.  
  
"Isn't it the most beautiful sound you've ever heard?" Hiro asked, making the same nodding motion as Shuichi. "I… I never thought I'd live to hear this!"  
  
"We're making progress!" Shuichi murmured, glittering lights blinking on and off in his eyes. Hiro hugged his friend around the shoulders, somewhat affectionately. "Quick! Let's go home and practice!"  
  
The two nodded and began packing immediately. On the way out, Shuichi swore he could still hear the clapping sound. They had clapped for them. They had clapped for Hiro and Shuichi… This is so cool…Maybe next time there will be more clapping! In fact-ITAI!  
  
There it was again. He had bumped into someone once again. But this time it wasn't his fault! He swore it wasn't his fault! "Sumi- Oh, it's you…" he muttered, seeing the man from yesterday again. "Look, I'm not even going to try to make you say you're sorry today, so just go on with your life and stop bumping into me."  
  
"Can be obnoxious, now can't he…" Eiri whispered to himself. Coughing, he said, "You weren't that bad today. Nothing like some of the great people we have today, but good enough."  
  
"You're being sarcastic…" Shuichi muttered.  
  
Eiri flinched. "I… know where you could maybe… get a recording deal. I could also… help out a bit", he muttered. "But I really think you need a few more years of practice. Just because you get up early in the morning is no reason to forget to tune up."  
  
Shuichi flinched this time. "How do you know?" he inquired. "You're not one of those weirdoes, who sign a contract to people like me and then steal everything I get, now are you?"  
  
"No! No, in fact, I'm not", he said as he put a cigarette to his lips. Lighting it, he muttered, "I just happen to take an interest in people who could do better if they tried harder. You two are just so down that nobody's listening that you don't play as well as you did when you first came here. Besides, who's heard of a band with only two members? You need a drummer."  
  
"Thank you for the advice, but I'm sure I don't need it", he muttered, slamming the trunk of the car. Who was he to tell Shuichi about music?  
  
"Oh, I'm sure you do. You have lots of potential. You just need someone to… help you. And I'm pretty sure I could be that man for you. In fact, I've been thinking of signing you up with a friend of mine…"  
  
Finally the words registered in Shuichi's brain. "YOU WOULD DO THAT FOR LITTLE ME?!" Eiri nodded quickly, hoping the kid wouldn't kill him if he said no. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"  
  
Eiri couldn't feel Aizawa's presence around him, and almost felt like he had a newfound freedom. And he could extend that freedom, now couldn't he? Rule number one in the book: Never get personal with a victim.  
  
"By the way, I never caught hint of your name", he muttered.  
  
"Neither did I, which is strange. I'm used to catching people's names…" he said quietly to himself. "Anyway, I'm Shindo Shuichi."  
  
"Right…" he muttered. "Name's Yuki Eiri."  
  
"Hiro! Hiro!" he called, his friend coming over. Eiri cringed at the thought of the other one getting into this business. "Look, this man's going to help us! He's going to help us become a real band!"  
  
"Really?" his friend seemed as happy as Shuichi, but wasn't so ecstatic as Shuichi.  
  
"Thank you…" Shuichi murmured, hugging Eiri.  
  
"Um… Shuichi?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Don't hug me."  
  
"Oh."  
  
**  
  
A/N: TO BE EXPLAINED! And… sorry for my "Bad-Chapter-One" syndrome. I always seem to screw up on it, but I'm so lazy that I never go back and check it… Oh well. And did I mention this story was totally Alternate Universe? I think so… Anyway, Ja Ne for now. 'Till chapter two! 


	3. Surrealistic Pillow-Somebody to Love

Vox de la Morte  
  
2: Surrealistic Pillow: Somebody to Love  
  
Shuichi fiddled his fingers quickly, and finally decided to rap them against the wooden table. He had done that just about all day when Eiri asked him to find some of the songs he had written. Truth was… he hadn't written for quite a while. The only things he had… were from sixth grade. And oh, how those would make just wonderful songs of angst and pure hatred.  
  
Hiro had followed him into his quiet spot, stuck on what he would do to. Sure, he had written some tunes for his guitar, but he didn't think Shuichi's voice would fit in with any of it. All they had ever done in the bars were playing songs that other people had written. Sometimes they wished they had decided to play "The Surprise Song" in all of this time.  
  
"What're we gonna do…" Shuichi muttered. He was stuck in a tight spot, a corner of his mind maybe, and there was possibly no way to get out of it. Unless… "That's it!" Shuichi shrieked.  
  
Hiro merely looked up; knowing whatever it was wasn't it. That's the way things were run. Shuichi would get an idea and Hiro would nod his head quietly. Now was the time for nodding.  
  
"You know that guy…" Shuichi muttered, "that Yuki Eiri guy… He said he was a writer, right? If he's a writer, then he must be able to write songs! It's that simple! Oh, come on, Hiro! He'll have to agree to us if he loved us so much that he bumped into me! Come on!"  
  
"If you say so…" Hiro muttered, twirling some of his hair between his fingers. He could agree, even if he would never know if he was completely correct.  
  
"Quick… Dial him up!" Shuichi muttered, digging through his pockets for the paper with which Eiri's phone number lay on. He had given it to him so abruptly, Shuichi almost thought he wasn't the real deal he had said he was.  
  
'Got a piece of paper and pen? All right now, turn around. What do you mean, "Turn around"? I need something to write on', he mumbled as he used Shuichi's back as a desk. 'Here. Call me up if you ever need my help.'  
  
'Why would I need your help besides you getting us in touch with a record label?' Shuichi had asked.  
  
'Writers have thousands of different uses. You'll think of something and call me up for help.'  
  
'Right…' Hiro had muttered, obviously totally forgotten. Hey, he had to have gotten into Shuichi's memory somehow.  
  
Now Hiro handed Shuichi the phone almost restlessly as Shuichi dialed like a madman. He was going to get his help he had been promised, without any guarantee back crap. And that Eiri guy had better not have pulled any tricks on him…  
  
"Hello?" Ah. So he had a wife.  
  
"Hi… Um, is Eiri there?" he asked, trying to figure out why the woman's voice sounded familiar. He knew there was a reason why…  
  
"Oh… So you're his new plaything…" she muttered. "Just a second." She also must have thought that Eiri had pulled some tricks and that Shuichi was a girl for that comment. My voice isn't that high pitched… he thought quietly.  
  
"Shuichi?" he asked, phrasing the question almost like a phrase. Shuichi hated it when people did that…  
  
"Eiri-san, we've… been… having a few problems. We couldn't find our songs, and I'm pretty sure my little sister stole all of it, and-"  
  
"You need my help", he muttered, somberly. "Why don't you come over, and I'll show you a few things I've written."  
  
"Sure. As soon as I ask Hiro if it's okay-"  
  
"Don't bring your little friend with you", he muttered, Shuichi mouthing his words to Hiro. The other boy glared at the phone, already not liking this Eiri-san.  
  
"It's Hiro. So I'll see you at… six? And where exactly do you live?" he asked, and after a confirmation and directions, each exchanged a goodbye and hung up. "He called you a 'Little Friend'", Shuichi muttered.  
  
"Whatever…" Hiro sighed out as he twirled more of his hair between his fingers. Damn that uptight writer… He would get his revenge, if not more.  
  
But Shuichi saw it as something so much more. It was an adventure into a man's house and meeting his wife to show her he was actually a boy.  
  
**  
  
An apartment. Okay, so everybody has their choice of living… but an apartment? For someone like Eiri who was probably a writer pulling in the millions while laughing? Shuichi shook his head to clear his thoughts and rapped his knuckles against the door. Maybe he was going to jump out and stab him or something… or maybe he was planning on kidnapping Shuichi… He really shouldn't have come… It was a terrible idea, a really bad idea.  
  
But Eiri opened his door and let Shuichi in in such a polite manner; Shuichi almost giggled to himself. "Go ahead, sit on the couch or anywhere you feel like…" he muttered, closing the door behind him.  
  
"Where's your wife?" Shuichi asked immediately. He had this instantaneous feeling of meeting people come over him. And now he wanted to meet the woman who actually lived with Eiri.  
  
"Wife?" Sharp bitter laughter made Shuichi cringe. "Go ahead, sit down. So what is it that you want?" he asked, making sure Shuichi sat down on his couch. Shuichi looked around the apartment amazed; it was so clean, devoid of junk that he and Hiro had spent days of forgetting until Spring- Cleaning.  
  
Shuichi glared at the comment about Eiri's wife, but decided to just sit on it for a change. "Um… Hiro… and I…. Well… we couldn't find some of the songs that we had written… So… We were wondering… if you… could possibly… Well, you know…"  
  
Eiri rolled his eyes and came closer to Shuichi, reaching over his head. He pulled out a folder and dropped it in his lap. "Baka. You left this back at the bar. Next time, try to be careful not to loose your things."  
  
Shuichi flipped through the music suddenly aware that he had never seen these before. "Where… did these come from…" He muttered as he flipped through more of the music. Certainly he had never seen these before… He was pretty sure, at least… He hadn't written anything since sixth grade and if he did, he had probably lost it. Wait… If he had lost this music… Then Eiri must have found it and just given it to him. Simple enough, he thought chuckling to himself.  
  
"Now what do you want my help for?" he asked politely. Shuichi was certain Eiri hadn't been sitting that close to him.  
  
"I'm pretty sure I don't really need your help, so I guess I can go home now…" Shuichi muttered, gathering his things, about to stand up. But Eiri was faster, as he grabbed Shuichi's arms and pulled him back down on the couch.  
  
"I've got guests coming over. Maybe you'd like to meet them", he muttered. Shuichi shuddered upon hearing the word "company". But… if he really wanted him to meet these people… and if he was polite enough… then Shuichi would stay for the time being.  
  
Somehow Shuichi's innocence made Eiri a little weary of him. Shuichi noticed it himself, as he sat tapping his feet on the ground while his hands were sitting on his lap. "Damn you, regret…" he whispered low enough that Shuichi couldn't hear him. Just leave the kid here, and Aizawa would come and take him away. That was simple enough, wasn't it?  
  
It was just like the old times. The people Aizawa would pick were always so charismatic and innocent. Usually people leading good lives, until they were picked up by Eiri and forced to be turned in to the big bad Aizawa. So what was Eiri doing in it all? Was he just the messenger boy to do chores for him?  
  
Eiri sighed. He would never know, really. And now here was this boy, just waiting to be lost in the living world. So what was he going to do about it? Probably nothing. That's what he always did.  
  
"Well good evening!" Aizawa shouted as he appeared in the middle of the room. Shuichi went livid as Eiri tried to hold the boy down.  
  
"Wait…" Shuichi muttered, calming down. "I know what you are! You're a magician! Wow, Eiri-san! I never knew you had a friend who was a magician!" Aizawa shook his head, and looked up to the sky while mouthing, "Why?"  
  
"No… um… Shuichi, he's not really a magician…" Eiri muttered, but the boy sat still, almost fascinated by the man. "Crap…" he muttered. Shuichi was looking into Aizawa's eyes. That was it. The boy was dead, and Eiri could do nothing about it.  
  
"Look, Aizawa, maybe you could… not break this one? I'd really, really hate to say it, but he's kind of cute. So if you could possibly…" he was cut off by Aizawa's grin. "Right… Well, maybe you could just be a little careful with him."  
  
Aizawa came closer to Shuichi, suddenly now aware that the boy wouldn't squirm or scream: He was totally fixated on his eyes. That at least would save him from ripping the boy's throat out afterwards. But harming him… seemed to be all right. It wasn't like Eiri could do anything about it. Aizawa was older; therefore he would always have control over Eiri's actions.  
  
His hands slid down Shuichi's cheeks to his neck. It was the most stereotypical way to do it, but at least he would get his job done. He caressed Shuichi's neck, poking it with one of his nails for a little blood to fall over it. He lapped the blood up; humming to himself while he prepared for the last action that would probably mark the boy's end and the end of the danger he could posses.  
  
All of the ones he had already killed had some extent of sensing them before he killed them. And soon, his group could be carefree, knowing that they would have no more problems left to deal with. It didn't matter if Eiri thought it was a cruel thing to do. He would get this done the civil way; just so Eiri could spend the rest of his days in peace. Well, the rest of his life, that is.  
  
"Now", he whispered, opening his mouth and putting it around Shuichi's neck. The boy was pretty tense even if he wasn't awake. But he would be tense afterwards… Aizawa thought discreetly as he felt his teeth touch Shuichi's skin and-A knock on the door came. "Shit", Aizawa muttered.  
  
Shuichi opened his conscious eyes, and looked at the man whose mouth was on his neck. There was just a teeny-tiny moment when Shuichi flipped out, but he decided that it was the time for anger instead. "CHEATER!" Shuichi shouted, smacking the man over and over until he let go.  
  
"Damn you, pumpkin eater!" Aizawa shouted.  
  
Eiri sighed, thankful for the intruder, and opened the door as the two went on into a childish fight. "Oh… What do you want?" he asked Shuichi's "Little Friend".  
  
Hiro glared coldly, and muttered, "It's eleven o' clock. Where's my Shuichi?" He squeaked loudly when Eiri grabbed him and pulled him in the house swiftly, like lightning.  
  
"Listen: If you don't want me to tear you from limb to limb, you'll sit behind this door and not make a peep. Do you understand?" Eiri asked coldly, hoping the boy would jump in fear.  
  
But he didn't. Hiro shrugged lightly, muttering, "Hai, hai…"  
  
Eiri let out a sigh of relief. Good. Hiro over here. Good, Shuichi over there. Yet… the arguing going on bothered him for some unknown reason. He didn't know why… It just bothered him. Maybe it was because…  
  
"Fickle pansy Yukon greeter!" Shuichi shouted.  
  
"Dumb tickle lace wife beater!" Aizawa shouted back.  
  
Eiri shook his head and muttered something, at least getting Aizawa's attention. "Enough with this foolishness, stupid human!" Aizawa shouted, finally getting a grasp on what was now around him. "Now be good or this will hurt", he murmured, grabbing Shuichi's throat without the least bit of gentle care. Hiro leaped to save his friend, if only Eiri's back wasn't there, blocking his pathway. And Eiri was way out of his league, if he thought Hiro wouldn't scratch for his friend's life. Fight, he did.  
  
"Please!" Shuichi screamed, flailing his arms around. He dug his nails into Aizawa's cheek as quickly as he could, blood streaming through his thin fingers as Aizawa screamed in rage.  
  
"Eiri!" Aizawa screamed. But his scream was in vain. For a very pissed off boy with long brown hair had taken matters into his own hands. And as for Eiri, he let the boy go once he had two scratches on his shoulder. There was no way he was going to get a scar just from trying to let his master drink from a stupid obnoxious boy.  
  
Angered to the highest peak of his tolerance level, Aizawa hurled Shuichi to the wall nearest him, tilting the boy's head up to reveal his full neck. This would end it all, and he would rip the boy's body apart slowly… Oh so very slowly.  
  
Hiro threw his body at Aizawa, the man stumbling and tripping over a lone book on the floor. How it got there, nobody would ever know. Aizawa fell on the floor with a loud thud while Shuichi's somewhat comatose body fell into Hiro's arms. Hiro immediately took off, as quickly as his long legs could take him, hoping to finally get out of here and declare it all a well- rounded nightmare. He threw himself out the door and bounded down the stairs, almost falling down the stairs instead.  
  
Rain pattered on the ground playfully, a rainbow looming across the sky as Hiro's legs burned and screamed while he ran as quickly as he could. Finally, yes, oh yes, he could tell this was home. The same apartment he had come so close to knowing so well, including its bed. He had been powered on by anger, and now the power seemed to vanish almost completely, leaving Hiro tired, and wanting deeply to sleep.  
  
His eyes sauntered over to Shuichi, who didn't move when Hiro fell to his knees. Shuichi's eyes were open… yet closed. "Well… you're asleep too… So it wouldn't matter… if I slept… too…" Hiro muttered, finally closing his eyes and letting the rest that his whole body so desperately needed.  
  
**  
  
"Isn't this neat-o…" the man muttered when he saw the boy run out carrying the other boy. He didn't dare to step in between them when the black figure followed swiftly after them. Oh well. Another two gone to the hidden shadows of this world. But did it really matter to him?  
  
"Does it?" he asked quietly, stroking the stuffed animal he had in his arms. "Do you think so?" he asked, putting the bunny's lips near his ear. "Yes, indeed so. It seems that way, anyway… Human affairs… You don't like getting into human affairs, you say, Kuma-chan?" He stroked the stuffed animal lovingly this time, as he cradled it in his arms.  
  
"I see… with my little eyes… Something that starts with a G. Yes, you're smart Kuma-chan! Sometimes even I can't remember what the Grim Reaper looks like! Oh, but don't worry. They'll have better lives where they're going, anyway."  
  
**  
  
"Damn it…" Aizawa muttered, wiping the blood from his cheek and watching the scars begin to grow. He pushed stray hairs out of his face and grinned like a Cheshire Cat on its new realization that Alice wasn't where she belonged. "Didn't it seem simple? You bring the boy here, I kill him, and that would ensure peace for our reign. But a small detail slipped in… You never told me there was another one…"  
  
Eiri sighed and chewed on the sandwich he had made in simple time. "I didn't think he would interfere. And I didn't think he would fight that fiercely. Besides, that obnoxious kid could drown in the streets for all I care."  
  
"Hm?" Aizawa murmured, grinning wider. "It's your fault he got out in the first place. He wasn't supposed to get out. If it weren't for that stupid friend of his, it would've all been perfect. You screwed it up. Therefore, you are going to get the boy back."  
  
"How the fuck am I supposed to do that?" Eiri chuckled out. "The kid already saw what you wanted. Now he'll flip whenever he sees me. Now he won't even try to bump into me. Isn't it easy to see for you? Oh yeah, I'm pretty sure he'll come up to me and hug me again, just like he did before. Perfect plan, Aizawa."  
  
Aizawa laughed out loud, finally looking away from his mirror. "No, no, no… Can't you see, Yuki Eiri? You fascinated that boy the first time he saw you. And now… if you offer a shoulder, I'm sure he'll warm up to it immediately. It's his nature. Then afterwards, we can cut off his head and throw it down the river. We can't take a chance tonight… What if he lived? No, my friend. He must be dead. Shindo Shuichi must be dead…"  
  
"Oh you're kidding me…" Eiri muttered when he fully comprehended the phrase, "if you offer him a shoulder". "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but I think you owe me a favor now for all that I have done for you!"  
  
"This is a favor…" Aizawa muttered, grinning gleefully. Eiri wished to shove a brick down that grinning face. "Go to work."  
  
**  
  
Her long hair falls over his body as the man finally wakes up to see her face clearly. He had been bleeding, for the beast had found him and almost made one with him, as it had to so many others. Now she strokes his head, wiping off the dried blood on his cheek.  
  
"Yes", she says, smiling happily. "You and I are the same, stuck in the same position, ready to serve and to die when the time comes. Did you ever really escape the beast? Or had you been running for all your life, only to run so far away from yourself that you were lost? Where are your other friends? Lost in the depths of time? Do you really know where they are?"  
  
"No", he says, trying to answer all of her questions. "I… escaped. Yes, I escaped."  
  
"Nobody escapes…" she whispered, her fangs suddenly appearing. "Nobody escapes."  
  
Shuichi opened his eyes slowly, a fuzzy haze hanging over the blue irises. Just what was this? This… vision that came upon him whenever he lost himself in the unknown realm known as sleep. Or maybe… Maybe he had been lost in the darkness. Yes, that was what it had been. Everything had been a dream. Eiri, Aizawa, and the woman taking care of the man. They were all fake, and they would all go away. Soon he and Hiro would be getting ready to go to another bar to play for people who didn't even care about music.  
  
"Hiro", he whispered, sitting up to a whole entire breakfast sitting on his lap. Hiro was so caring… But sometimes Shuichi wished he wouldn't take so much care of him. He could take care of himself, anytime of the day and night.  
  
But… something was wrong. Hiro never made breakfast like this just for the morning. It was usually pocky or something toasted. So… who… Of course… Shuichi thought silently as he stared at the figure sitting at the end of his bed. He had never seen it before… But somehow he had seen it. From… From his dream.  
  
The man wore all black, including a black hat. He turned around and smiled to Shuichi, scratching his blond hair. Shuichi shuddered under the cold gray eyes, but was attracted to them in a strange way. Almost like the way he had been attracted to Aizawa's eyes. He nodded slowly and took his hat off.  
  
"Go ahead, eat up. And I'm sorry if you had a bad dream. My wife just used to be so full of philosophical crap."  
  
  
  
*  
  
A/N: Urgh… I hate you, school… Ryuuichi had such a small unimportant role… But I just had to put him in! I can't live without him being in at least the first chapter! Maybe he'll have a bigger role in the third chapter… Hmm… 


	4. Surrealistic Pillow-White Rabbit

Vox de la Morte  
  
3: Surrealistic Pillow: White Rabbit  
  
"Tick, tick, tick…" the clocks sang as they sat upon the bronze lined walls. One had huge slit eyes, swinging back and forth as it peered into the shadows while its prized tail swung in accordance with the eyes. Another was an old man, swinging his arm back and forth with a louder tick. And when the arm struck the hour, he would sing in a sonorous voice for all to hear that now was the time to get to work.  
  
For some, that toll would be a glorious sound. But to a man sitting and staring at the ceiling above him, it was just a way to keep the loneliness from devouring him. He sat waiting, waiting, and waiting. Now it was five in the morning, and worry set in. He always came back at four thirty, and now he had been out for way too long… He had no way to contact him; oh what was he going to do? Then the blinds of his only window began to shake.  
  
The man's eyes lit up and he smiled happily to see his prized affection slowly slip into the room. "Ryuu!" he said happily, helping the man from the open window. "Oh, I was so worried, I almost thought you had died, did you know that you were thirty minutes later than you usually were?"  
  
"S'okay…" Ryuu muttered sleepily, clinging onto his own prized possession. "Kuma-chan and I saw an old friend… And we had to say hi, but we didn't feel like having enough guts to do so…" he muttered in a voice that sounded like a teenager's.  
  
The man ruffled his hair and sat back down, watching the clocks. It had been the only thing he had originally done when Ryuu was gone, but now that he was back, now he could truly take his attention off of them.  
  
"Do you need me for anything, Tatsuha?" Ryuu asked in a deeper voice, but still retaining the image of a fifteen-year-old kid. Tatsuha looked up into his eyes, only to regret it. There was a want to be important there, just a need to be needed. Tatsuha smiled slowly and patted Ryuu's head happily. Then he replied: "You could sing me something."  
  
Ryuu put two and two together and laughed loudly. "Of course I can! That's easy!" He hummed quietly; trying to tune his voice while his exterior appearance seemed to change from carefree and flowing energy to stiff and almost a cold posture. From humming, he opened his mouth and went from C sharp up to E sharp and back down. Finally, he was ready to sing.  
  
"Singing in the sunshine, laughing in the rain. Hitting on the moonshine, rocking in the grain. Ain't no time to pack my bag, my foots outside the door. Got a date, can't be late for the high hopes hailla ball.  
  
"Singing to an ocean, I can hear the ocean roar. Play for free, play for me and play a whole lot more. Singing of the good things and the sun that lights the day. Singing to the ocean, has the ocean lost its way.  
  
"Sitting round, singing songs 'til the night turns into day. Used to sing to the mountains but the mountains washed away. Now I'm singing all my songs to a girl who won my heart. She is only three years old and it's a real fine way to start."  
  
Tatsuha clapped, but his brows had caved in and he spoke with a shaking voice. "That was nice…" But it had pertained too much to where Ryuuichi had remained before. Sure, he had liked the band and he had heard the song… But did Ryuuichi had to pick it out right when they were already close to being comfortable?  
  
"You always say that…" Ryuuichi muttered coldly. Running a hand through his brown hair, Ryuuichi looked off into the night sky from the window, his free spot, and his base. Yet here he was stuck. Stuck… stuck until he got it back. "I'm going to take a nap", he murmured. "If you need anything, don't bother me."  
  
With that, Ryuuichi was gone and Tatsuha could hear the door close. Had he angered him? Oh, it had been his fault once again! He swore he would never do this again, but he did it again! Oh, he had promised himself! And now he was breaking promises… Whenever he got into that mood, he always seemed to be filled with vengeance towards Tatsuha.  
  
"Not like I blame him…" he whispered. "It was my fault, anyway… But I'll make him change his mind!" he shouted, immediately pulling out his new book. He didn't need the book, but Ryuu really did need it, and if he were to ever understand Ryuu, he'd have to read the type of books that would influence him first. Then he could give it to Ryuu.  
  
A knock on the door brought him to his senses after minutes had passed, and Tatsuha grunted for the first time in the day. Why now? "It's open!" he shrieked, hoping the scream would travel all the way down to the first floor. The door opened, and Tatsuha could hear footsteps calmly walking up the stairs.  
  
Everybody Tatsuha knew quite well used the window. Ryuuichi used it, and long ago, a few college students had chosen that route. It was far easier to use, as the front street was usually clouded with cars. Especially since an apartment complex was right next to his house. Yes, only people he knew really well would use the door. Well maybe with the exception of-  
  
"Eiri!" Tatsuha squeaked, seeing his older brother with lighter hair. "What have I done now…" he squeaked and whispered at the same time.  
  
Eiri rolled his eyes and sat down in the chair across from Tatsuha. "I'm not here to lecture you and I'm not here to hurt you…" he muttered, thinking back to the past. "I…"  
  
"What is it?" Tatsuha asked, somehow interested. "Do you… possibly need my help?"  
  
"I… No. I don't need your help. Just advice", Eiri rebounded in a deep voice. "Listen… Aizawa has another request from me." Tatsuha shivered like a leaf in the wind when he hear Aizawa's name. "He wants me to catch this obnoxious and annoying kid so he can kill him just so we can survive. Well, at first he wanted me to catch him. Then things kind of screwed up, and now he wants me to… Give the kid a shoulder he can cry on."  
  
"And you want me to help you… how?" Tatsuha asked, almost on the verge of laughter. It was his funeral if he burst out into laughter, but he couldn't help but to smirk at his brother's disposition. Oh, he hated being the youngest. He could never laugh at the others without loosing a body piece.  
  
"I… need… I really don't know how to…"  
  
"For gods sake! You're the one who decided to write romance novels! You should know about this type of thing. I'm the one who needs help!" Tatsuha laughed out. "The only time Ryuuichi likes my company is when he's in his cute personality, and even then he just wants to sit in my lap and have a story read to him."  
  
"It's really not that easy…" Eiri muttered, thinking back to his old books. The lovers had always been a male and a female. But… him… with a boy… "And how long have you kept that siren prisoner? They get restless after a few years."  
  
"*That Siren* has a name, you know. I've only kept him for almost a year now. Besides, his band disappeared, so I thought it was okay to take him. And he still doesn't have this…" Tatsuha muttered, waving the lucky rabbit's foot in Eiri's face. "Therefore, he can't leave me."  
  
"You're getting off topic", Eiri muttered, shoving the rabbit's foot out of his face.  
  
"You tricked me into getting off topic."  
  
"Right… Well, I don't know… I don't know how to woo a boy. Does that answer your first accusation?" Eiri asked, digging his fingernails into the chair's arm.  
  
"Very, very easy. If he's clingy, then let him cling onto you. But if he's sulky, then let him have his space. Put in a few kisses here and there, and soon you'll have the kid clinging onto your leg or else his world will tumble without you."  
  
"You're talking as if you have experience in this field…" Eiri muttered, scratching his knuckles on the chair's arm now.  
  
"I've tried many different types of things on Ryuuichi. Some of them work; some of them don't work. In the long run, it's really easy to get somebody to like you. The only problem is if you like them. Now, why don't you get your little rear in action and get to work?"  
  
"Why does everybody tell me to do that…" Eiri muttered to himself.  
  
**  
  
"Some more cereal?" the strange man who had been sitting at the end of Shuichi's bed asked. Shuichi shook his head quietly and wondered why the man had been here in the first place. This was private property, and he could kick him out of here if he wished.  
  
"Exactly who are you… and what are you doing in my apartment?" Shuichi asked the man.  
  
"That's simple to answer. My name's Seguchi Tohma. I'm here for your help. Didn't I tell you it was simple?" he asked coldly. Shuichi nodded politely and cleared his throat while he tried to get a better picture of the man. He had never seen someone wear all black in quite a while, and his eyes needed adjustments for that type of person.  
  
"I don't see why you'd need my help… I can't do anything. Really, I can't. All I can do is maybe make one man clap during a performance. But that's about it. I can't even fend off a… Well, a vam-"  
  
"Don't say that word!" Tohma shouted, covering Shuichi's mouth with swift reflexes. "Do you want a whole entire pack on your shoulders?" Shuichi shook his head. "Then don't use that derogatory word. You do know that they have acute hearing, don't you?"  
  
"Whatever!" Shuichi shouted, smacking Tohma's hand away from his mouth. "I don't have anything to do with them, and I don't have anything to do with you. Go away and leave me alone. That includes Hiro."  
  
Tohma smirked with an iridescent glow. "You must know nothing about their kind. Never say the v-word. Never ever say the v-word. Besides, if you ran away to America, you would still be hunted down. Quite frankly, it's no use."  
  
"Do-"  
  
"Don't argue with me. Besides, I'm not here to filter information out to a baby. I'm here to strike a bargain, if you have ears to listen." Shuichi then came a little closer to Tohma, signaling him to continue. "What you have is strange, but not uncommon. The only reason why it seems uncommon is because everybody who had the same ability is now dead. Aizawa has killed off almost all of your kind to protect his people… You do know that to actually have a surviving chance in this world, you must kill five of them?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Shuichi asked. "And what the hell are you talking about?"  
  
"Most of your kind… either die off from them, or… accidents happen. You kill five of them, and your safety is insured. As for what you can do… You can see their memories. Mixed with yours, of course, but you see a little bit of their past. Whoever you see… if you recognize them in anyway… You kill them."  
  
"I can't kill somebody!" Shuichi shrieked, backing into the wall his bed bordered. Kill somebody? Shindo Shuichi kill somebody? Had this man been taking drugs before he visited him?  
  
"You won't do the killing. You'll do the searching. Right now, I have two… escorts for you and your friend." Tohma said so without showing any emotion on his face. Damn… Where he was good in that, Shuichi wasn't.  
  
"Escorts?"  
  
"Helpers. Whatever you want to call them. So… you've obviously had a few visions if they have been paying attention to you already. Have you seen anybody?" he asked. Now he had trapped Shuichi in a small corner, and it made Shuichi feel somewhat infinitesimal.  
  
"I'm not sure… I couldn't tell who the first one was… But… the second one was…you. Does that mean I have to kill you?" Shuichi asked, quivering in his corner.  
  
"Everybody sees me", Tohma said quietly, grinning widely.  
  
"Right…" Shuichi muttered, wondering if he could squish into his corner just a little more. "Now… just what exactly are our escorts?"  
  
Tohma magically warped the grin into a smirk. "Friends and family. Now I think I've told you enough, and I really need to get a move on. As for our bargain, if you accomplish killing five of them, then I'll get you a spot in the music business."  
  
Shuichi remembered the words that Eiri had told him quite a while ago, promising him that he would be in the music business by now. It was eerie now to think that Eiri was… one of them. Probably laughing at him as he glued himself to a corner.  
  
"Wait!" Shuichi called. "You still haven't-" But he was gone. Whether he had jumped out the window, or just disappeared, Shuichi would never really know. Tohma… was Tohma. That as far as Shuichi's knowledge was now.  
  
And with Tohma out of the way, he could actually go check on Hiro. Shuichi jumped out of his bed and raced down the stairs. Oh dear, he had to still be here. Hiro would never leave him, even for a second, so he had to be here…  
  
"Phew…" Shuichi muttered, seeing Hiro sit on the couch that Shuichi desperately wanted to get rid of. Sitting on the left of Hiro was a teen with a face filled with ennui. On the other side was a tall man with blond hair, cradling a rifle. "Hiro, you'll never believe what I just had to go through. There was this man, and his name was To…"  
  
The teen's eyes leered over to Shuichi, waiting for him to speak the name so he could probably tear him to itty-bitty pieces. As far as Shuichi was concerned, he was planning on living for quite a long time, so he decided not to say the man's name.  
  
"You'll never believe what I was stuck with…" Hiro muttered calmly, looking to his sides. The man who was cradling his rifle now pointed it at any object he thought was perfect for a target and grinned malevolently. "This over here…" Hiro muttered, pointing at the teen, "is Suguru. And that", he pointed to the man with the rifle, "is K. Who did you get to meet?"  
  
Shuichi looked at Suguru, hoping he wouldn't bite off his hand if he dared to speak the name. "Seguchi Tohma… Kind of a weird man." Suguru almost seemed to emotionally jump up and scream, but thought better of it.  
  
"This is my boom-boom stick", K muttered, grinning (1).  
  
Shuichi tried to hold in all of the screams he was about to let out. What were these people doing in his apartment? Why did he have to ensure the death of five people? Why did he have to talk to a complete weirdo who had flashy eyes? Why did he have to run in with two other weirdoes? "What am I supposed to do…" he muttered quietly.  
  
"You could go to sleep", was all Suguru said, in a quiet and subdued voice. Shuichi took his advice.  
  
**  
  
This was not cool. Shuichi had a better time when he had been playing in front of the boring audience. Now he had a description, and he had to walk up and down all of the streets of Japan (if he had to) just to find one person. He swore he was going to go insane, and it was all Suguru and K's fault. Including that Tohma guy.  
  
Cars whizzed by, people were chattering and in his way while he looked and searched for the man he had seen. He had had a big tattoo on his arm of a whale, and orange hair. That's all Shuichi had picked up. Hopefully somebody like that was around here somewhere… And how he did not like to be out in the city during the night.  
  
But… he had officially gotten his freedom. K had suggested that Hiro stay behind, no matter how many times he pleaded and clung onto Shuichi's legs. He finally was out in the city without a tour guide… But somehow… it left him feeling empty. Hiro was probably one of the greatest friends he would ever have… And now, when Shuichi swore he was on the brink of chopping off his finger to see if he was dreaming, Hiro wasn't there.  
  
Sure, eventually one or the other would die… but Shuichi never wanted to think of getting old and dying before Hiro.  
  
The crowd of people was slimming down as the hours passed by, and Shuichi could freely breath. "What are you doing, baka?" asked a voice when Shuichi stretched and sighed happily. He knew that voice, and he knew that nickname. Time to run.  
  
Before Shuichi could even lift a foot to run, there he was. Eiri stood before him; casual looking and glared when Shuichi showed a hint of fear on his face. "What… what do you want?" Shuichi whispered, his hand grasping a small pocketknife on the side of his jacket.  
  
"I thought you'd like a cup of coffee, that's all", he muttered, putting his hand on Shuichi's shoulder. Damn, this was hard… Eiri thought to himself. With a woman… he was sure she'd be all over him. But with a boy who he'd already scared the shit out of before… this would be difficult.  
  
"Coffee, my ass…" Shuichi whispered, tensing up and shaking like a leaf in the fall. He wanted Eiri to attack him, to punch him or to grab him. Then he had a right to attack him second, with a pocketknife. He could call it self-defense. Yes, that was it. Eiri came forward, and Shuichi was sure he would harm him in some way. He pulled out the pocketknife, only to be quite surprised.  
  
Eiri held him in a light embrace; didn't mean anything, but it was an embrace. Shuichi knew the difference between a hug and an embrace, and he shook harder, knowing that Eiri would not kill him now. Eiri stroked his pink hair, trying to quiet the kid's whimpers. "So how about a cup of coffee?" he whispered in Shuichi's ear.  
  
Shuichi dropped the pocketknife and shoved Eiri away from him. "Don't think you can win my trust back from sweet nothings", he hissed out like a little rat. No… Eiri thought. He wasn't like a rat. More like an innocent little rabbit, finally noticing the wolf's jaws around its head.  
  
And now Eiri's problem arose: He didn't think Shuichi would refuse him at any turn. "Cup of tea, then? Soda?" Shuichi shook his head violently. Eiri put his hand back on Shuichi's shoulder, but Shuichi pushed it off.  
  
"Don't touch me", he hissed, wishing for it to rain so he could have an excuse to run away from Eiri. "I understand what you're doing… and in the end, I'll be dead. And now I think that my escorts really should have come along with me."  
  
"Escorts?" Eiri inquired.  
  
"You sound just like me when I first heard it too. Helpers. Whatever you want to call them. Tohma owned them out to me. You see here, I have these different dreams, and-"  
  
"I know all about that", Eiri muttered while sighing. He really didn't want to bring Aizawa to mind right now. Somehow this kid just didn't seem like the obnoxious brat he was before. "You're like him… Shifting through emotions", he whispered, hoping Shuichi hadn't heard it.  
  
"What?" Shuichi asked. Great, now Eiri had him in his web. Shuichi's innocence glowed on him now, with just one question. This was his chance, and he wasn't going to let it go.  
  
"Coffee…" he muttered while looking into Shuichi's pupils. "You said that we could go out and get some coffee. That's what I remember you saying."  
  
"I don't remember saying that…" Shuichi muttered, shaking his head violently again. Damn him…. Damn him… Oh how he hated people using him as their little poodle whom would bark at the other. "Why don't you stop using the tricks and tell me exactly what's going on…" Shuichi muttered calmly, trying to stop shaking.  
  
"Idiot…" Eiri muttered. "Stop acting like everybody's after you. I'm offering you to a simple cup of coffee. It's a yes or no question."  
  
"All right…" Shuichi whispered in a melodic voice. So… maybe he could have a conversation with Eiri… and he could get a few answers. Shuichi wasn't sure that he caught something… but he could swear he saw Eiri smirk just a little.  
  
**  
  
Hiro did not like the idea of Shuichi going out on his own at all. In fact, he hated it so much he had taken his time to go against a vow he had made with Shuichi. He walked out of the apartment, through the back window, and slipped passed K and Suguru while they looked through Shuichi's refrigerator. Then he was on the streets, pondering just where could his friend possibly be?  
  
It wasn't until he had been out for about an hour before he started to think back on his original plans. "Stupid vampires…" he muttered. "It's all your fault that Shuichi's out there on his own… On my own, sure that would be great, but leave Shuichi alone…" He could've sworn he hadn't been talking to anyone. At least he had thought so.  
  
"Is that so?" Hiro's hairs perked up as he slowly recalled the voice. He had heard this voice when his friend had been in trouble and he had saved him… What was worse was that the voice was right next to him, now. And the fact that the man's breath stank added on to that. "Interesting seeing you here…" Aizawa muttered. "Thought you'd be out with your little Pomeranian. Or are we lost? Yes, indeed, that look of surprise does convey a look of a little lost boy… But, to get on the subject, do you know what you forgot?"  
  
Hiro shook his head, not trusting his movements, as he whispered, "No…"  
  
Aizawa circled to the front of Hiro now, his grin widening. "Of course you don't know… You weren't with Shuichi when he had his little prep talk with Tohma, now were you? Unfortunately, my friend…" he muttered while putting his hands on Hiro's shoulders, "you are going to learn the lesson a little too late." Aizawa pushed Hiro to the ground, his back against a hard and uncomfortable wall. "Never call us by that name. We loathe it, and many people who call us that don't live for too long. Understand?" Hiro nodded, trying to formulate a plan that work against the monster that held him by his shoulders.  
  
Aizawa pressed his fingers on Hiro's neck, again thinking that this was way too stereotypical. But, he couldn't settle for anything else. He had him by the shoulders, anyway. As he lunged for Hiro's neck, he did not notice the boy's fist rise. And he did not notice it when it hit him. Aizawa pulled his head away from Hiro and chuckled lightly. "You humans are all frankly the same. Wow! Look at me! I can kick and punch! Now, where was I?" he muttered, nuzzling into Hiro's neck.  
  
The boy fought and squirmed with all the strength he had, but it just wouldn't help out. In fact, the dark circles forming around his eyes became more and more inviting by the minute… And when they grabbed his hands into unconsciousness, Hiro followed.  
  
**  
  
A/N: Last bit was so rushed… but I wanted to get it up. So… again I was being lazy. But oh well, sleep does come first…  
  
Ah, don't we miss those B Movie nights when we could curl up and watch the Evil Dead series? Although Ash's boom-boom stick didn't get as much recognition as K's.  
  
Until chapter four, then… And yes, Aizawa is Taki as Taki is Aizawa. 


End file.
